Editing Aachen (section)

== Transport ==
[[File:Aachen Hauptbahnhof 10-2017.jpg|thumb|[[Aachen Central Station]]]]

=== Rail ===
Aachen's railway station, the [[Aachen Central Station|Hauptbahnhof]] (Central Station), was constructed in 1841 for the [[Cologne–Aachen high-speed railway|Cologne–Aachen railway line]]. In 1905, it was moved closer to the city centre. It serves main lines to Cologne, [[Aachen–Mönchengladbach railway|Mönchengladbach]] and [[HSL 3|Liège]] as well as branch lines to [[Heerlen]], [[Alsdorf]], [[Stolberg (Rhineland)|Stolberg]] and [[Eschweiler]]. [[Intercity-Express|ICE high speed trains]] from [[Brussels]] via [[Cologne]] to [[Frankfurt am Main]] and [[Eurostar]] trains from Paris to Cologne also stop at Aachen Central Station. Four [[Regional-Express|RE]] lines and two [[Regionalbahn|RB]] lines connect Aachen with the [[Ruhr]]gebiet, Mönchengladbach, Spa (Belgium), [[Düsseldorf]] and the [[Siegerland]]. The ''[[Euregiobahn]]'', a regional railway system, reaches several minor cities in the Aachen region.

There are four smaller stations in Aachen: ''[[Aachen West station|Aachen West]]'', ''[[Aachen Schanz station|Aachen Schanz]]'', ''[[Aachen-Rothe Erde station|Aachen-Rothe Erde]]'' and ''[[Eilendorf station|Eilendorf]]''. Slower trains stop at these. Aachen West has gained in importance with the expansion of [[RWTH Aachen University]].

===Intercity bus stations===
There are two stations for [[intercity bus service]]s in Aachen: [[Aachen West station]], in the north-west of the city, and Aachen Wilmersdorfer Straße, in the north-east.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.travelinho.com/en/travel/aachen|last=Travelinho|title=Aachen: Stations|access-date=10 February 2019|archive-date=1 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180301054922/http://www.travelinho.com/en/travel/aachen|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Public transport ===
[[File:OecherLongWajong1.JPG|thumb|right|[[Bi-articulated bus]] of the city's transit authority ASEAG, at the [[Klinikum Aachen|university hospital]] bus stop]]

The first horse tram line in Aachen opened in December 1880. After electrification in 1895, it attained a maximum length of {{convert|213.5|km|mi|frac=8|abbr=off}} in 1915, thus becoming the fourth-longest tram network in Germany. Many tram lines extended to the surrounding towns of [[Herzogenrath]], [[Stolberg (Rheinland)|Stolberg]], [[Alsdorf]] as well as the Belgian and Dutch communes of [[Vaals]], [[Kelmis]] (then ''Altenberg'') and [[Eupen]]. The Aachen tram system was linked with the [[Vicinal tramway|Belgian national interurban tram system]]. Like many tram systems in Western Europe, the Aachen tram suffered from poorly-maintained infrastructure and was so deemed unnecessary and disrupting for car drivers by local politics. On 28 September 1974, the last line 15 (Vaals–Brand) operated for one last day and was then replaced by buses. A proposal to reinstate a tram/light rail system under the name ''Campusbahn'' was dropped after a referendum.

Today, the ASEAG (''Aachener Straßenbahn und Energieversorgungs-AG'', literally "Aachen Tram and Power Supply Company") operates a {{convert|1240.8|km|mi|adj=mid|-long|frac=8}} bus network with 68 bus routes. Because of the location at the border, many bus routes extend to Belgium and the Netherlands. Lines 14 to Eupen, Belgium and 44 to Heerlen, Netherlands are jointly operated with [[Société Régionale Wallonne du Transport|Transport en Commun]] and [[Veolia Transport Nederland]], respectively. ASEAG is one of the main participants in the Aachener Verkehrsverbund (AVV), a tariff association in the region. Along with ASEAG, city bus routes of Aachen are served by private contractors such as Sadar, Taeter, Schlömer, or [[DB Regio Bus]]. Line 350, which runs from [[Maastricht]], also enters Aachen.

=== Roads ===
Aachen is connected to the [[Autobahn]] [[Bundesautobahn 4|A4]] (west-east), [[Bundesautobahn 44|A44]] (north-south) and A544 (a smaller motorway from the A4 to the ''Europaplatz'' near the city centre). There are plans to eliminate traffic jams at the Aachen road interchange.

=== Airport ===
[[Maastricht Aachen Airport]] {{airport codes|MST|EHBK}} is the main airport of Aachen and [[Maastricht]]. It is located around {{convert|15|nmi|km mi|abbr=off}} northwest of Aachen. There is a shuttle-service between Aachen and the airport.

Recreational aviation is served by the (formerly military) [[Aachen Merzbrück Airfield]].